Paper roll holding and dispensing appliance



July 24, 1956 -r. H. HALLWOOD 2,756,004

PAPER ROLL HOLDING AND DISPENSING APPLIANCE Filed July 24, 1953 INVENTOR 7WOM/i5 M #4111/1 000 ATTORNEY Unitfid States atent'O PAPER ROLL HOLDING AND DISPENSING V APPLIANCE Application July 24, 1953, Serial No. 370,163

1 Claim. (Cl. 242-555) This invention relates to appliances for supporting and dispensing spirally rolled bodies of thin sheet material, such as wrapping paper or the like.

Holders for rolled wrapping paper of conventional construction are objectionable in several respects: First, ordinarily there is present in the construction and operation of the usual paper holder considerable paper wastage because of the mechanical failure of such appliances to grip and clamp against rotation the paper rolls supported thereby, particularly when paper from such rolls is not positively withdrawn from the rolls by definite forces applied thereto through the users of the appliances. Often, after a given length of paper has been withdrawn from a roll, the latter continues to rotate about its axis of support on the holder frame, producing free lengths of paper which are quite likely to be wasted.

It is one of the outstanding objects of the present invention to provide in a paper-dispensing and supporting holder of this character a combined cutting bar and roll-clamping attachment which, while serving to permit of the ready Withdrawal of paper lengths from a roll body under proper actuation by the user of the appliance will, at all other times, exert a positive clamping or braking action on the outer circumference of the paper roll of such character as to restrain positively such a holder-supported roll against undue rotation about its principal axis.

It is another object of the invention to provide a composite paper-cutting and clamping attachment for paper roll holders in which the attachment is mounted to swing bodily about a horizontal axis disposed above the axis of rotation of a paper roll on said frame, and wherein the cutting and clamping attachment, in addition to turning bodily about said axis, is formed so that the cutting and clamping head thereof may be moved substantially radially or tangentially with respect to the outer circumference of the associated paper roll to cause the same to maintain a constant clamping action on the roll in holding it against rotation.

A further object is to provide a radially slidable and pivotally mounted composite paper-shearing and rollclamping attachment for paper roll holders in which the attachment maintains a definite operating position withrespect to the outer circumferental portion of an associated paper roll at all trnes, particularly during progressive diminution in the effective diameter of the associated roll as the result of paper withdrawals therefrom.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a simple, safe and readily applied paper-shearing and clamping attachment for rolled paper holders which constitutes an improvement generally upon previously employed attachments or appliances of this character.

For a further understanding of the invention, including additional objects and advantages thereof, reference is to be had to the following specification and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an end elevational view of a holder for sup- 2,756,004 Patented July 24,1956

porting and dispensing paper in rolled form and dis closing the roll-clamping and paper web-cutting attachment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the plane indicated by the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and looking down war'dly on the apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a detail vertical sectional view taken on the plane disclosed by the line 3-3 of Fig, 1. g

Fig. 4 is a detail vertical transverse sectional view taken on the plane disclosed by the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, there has been disclosed a holder for rolled paper composed of an upright frame consisting in this instance of a base I having secured as at 2 to the upper surface thereof the lower ends of a pair of upright roll-carrying members 3, which, preferably, are channel-shaped in cross section. The members 3 are spaced longitudinally a suflicient distance to receive between them the length of a paper roll 4. The latter is provided axially with the usual mandrel shaft 5 having reduced outer ends 6 which are removably received in semicircular bearing extensions 7 carried by the members 3, whereby to provide for the removable support of the roll on the holder frame and rotation thereof about its longitudinal axis. The upper ends of the members 3 are united by a longitudinally extending cross member 8, which imparts stability and rigidty to the holder frame as a whole.

In connecton with such a conventional paper rollholding and dispensing frame, the present invention provides an improved roll-clamping and web-shearing attachment, which has been indicated in its entirety by the letter M. The purpose of this attachment is to hold at all proper times the roll 4 against undue rotation, whereby .to minimize paper waste, to provide convenient means for shearing the webs or lengths of paper Withdrawn from the roll, to prevent injury to the fingers of the user of the appliance when the free edge of paper web is gripped in the withdrawal of the web from the roll and through accidental contact with the sharpened edges of the cutting or shearing bar of the attachment, and to provide for the positive release of the roll-clamping mechanism when the web is gripped to withdraw a web or length of paper from the roll.

In securing these advantageous features, the attachment comprising the mechanism M consists primarily of the relatively spaced, longitudinally extending and parallel table and cutting bars indicated at 9 and 10, respectively. At its opposite ends, the table bar 9 is formed with downturned vertically disposed flanges as shown at 11 in Fig. 5. To these flanges there is rigidly secured, as at 12, at the opposite ends of a pair of side arms 13 whch extend inwardly and substantally radially of the roll 4 and are disposed at the opposite ends of the latter, as shown more particularly in Fig. 2.

The inner ends of the arms 13 are, as illustrated in Fig. 3, slidably positioned in openings 14 provided in turnable heads 15, the latter being provided with rigid shanks 16 whch are swiveled in sockets 17 formed in fixed bearings 18 carried by the vertical members 3 of the holder frame. By this construction, the attachment consistuting the mechanism M may turn bodily about a horizontal axis provided by the swiveled mountings of the heads 15 in the sockets of the bearings 18. In addition, the attachment may be moved substantially radially or tangentially with respect to the roll 4 through the sliding movement of the inner ends of the arms 13 in the openings 14.

At one end of the attachment the table and cutting bars 9 and 10, respectively, are united by means of the vertical pivots disclosed at 19. At the opposite ends of the attachment, the upper cutting bar is slotted as at 20 to receive the threaded shank of a stud bolt 21 carried by and arising from the table bar 9, the bolt being equipped with a wing nut 22 orfits equivalent which,

when tightened, and with the bars 9 and 10-disposed in the parallel order set forthin Fig. 2, maintains said bars in rigid unitary relationship. In such relationship, the

.bars are slightly spaced so that the free end of a paper ting or shearing edge 26. Also, the cutting bar 10 is provided with a longitudinallyextending and centrally disposed guide rib 27 which projects downwardly toward the upper surface of the table bar 9, but is slightly spaced therefrom to permit the paper web 23 to pass therebetween. The. rib 27 serves to reenforce the cutting bar and, also, it acts to hold the free edge of the paper web in spaced relation from the cutting edge 26, so that when a length of paper has been cut,.the remaining free edge of the web will be spaced automatically from the cutting or shearing edge 26, as shown in Fig. 4. This enables the edge of the web orstrip to be gripped by an operator without likelihood of the fingers contacting the sharpened edge 26 and becoming cut or otherwise injured thereby. The table bar may also be formed with a longitudinally extending reenforcing rib28 in increasing its longitudinal rigidity. Forwardly, and below the cutting edge 26, the table bar includes a downwardly extending forwardly disposed reenforcing flange 29 and rearwardly and in parallel relation to the flange 29 the table bar includes an angularly directed rollclamping edge 30. This edge may by gravity-induced sliding operation of the side arms 13 in the heads be maintained in constant contact with the outer peripheral surface of the roll 4 at a position of substantially 45 degrees above the horizontal plane passing through the axis of rotation of the roll 4. i

To maintain the clamping edge in such contact with said roll, it will be noted that the side arms 13 are provided with ratchet teeth 31. These teeth cooperate with the inner ends of self-locking'but manually released slidable and spring-pressed plungers 32, the latter being slidably supported in connection with thirnbles 33 carried by the holder uprights 3. Also, the plungers are slidably received in longitudinally aligned openings formed in the bearings 18 and in the shanks 16 of the swiveled heads 15, as shown in Fig. 3. Each of the plungers 32 carries a fixed collar 34 which engages with one end of a coil spring 35. One of these springsis positioned in each of the thirnbles 33 and surrounds the plunger 32 therein, with one end of the spring confined against the closed end of the thimble 33 and the other end of the spring in engagement with the collar 34, whereby to force the plunger toward the associated ratchet teeth of a side arm 13. The outer end of each of the plungers may be equipped with a hand knob 36, by which the plungers may be conveniently gripped between the fingers of an operator and forces, applied thereto withdrawing the inner ends of the plungers from engagement with the ratchet teeth and against the resistance offered by the springs 35 to such withdrawal movement.

Thus when the holder is being reloaded with a fresh roll of paper, the hand knobs 36 are moved outwardly so that the entire clamping and cutting attachment may be withdrawn from its applied position on the holder. This leaves the sides of the holder open and free from obstructions so that a new roll of paper may be readily inserted .inthe bearings 7. Following such mounting of a paper roll in its applied position on the holder, the clamping and cutting attachment is restored to its operative position. This is usually done by inserting the inner end of the side arms 13 into the openings 14 provided therefor in the swiveled heads 15. Such inward inserting movement is continued until the clamping edge 30 of the table bar contacts the outer periphery of the paper roll with sufficient firmness to hold the latter against accidental rotation about its principal axis.

When the apparatus is thus positioned, the cutting bar may be relased by removing the wing nut 22, or at least loosening the latter sufficiently so that said cutting bar may be oscillated about the axis of the pivot 19 to assume the open or dotted line position in Fig. 2. This allows the free edge or outer Web of the paper roll to be passed readily over the table bar and beyond the flanged outer edge 29 thereof. The cutter bar is then restored to its normal position in fixed parallelism with the table bat and so held by tightening the wing nut 22.

Owing to the fixed angularity of the attachment, as the same is viewed in Fig. 1, the Withdrawal of a length of paper from the roll 4 in producing the sever-able web 23 will tend to lift the attachment so that the same turns about the horizontal and longitudinal axis of the swivelled heads 15. This turning movement is sufiicient to lift the clamping edge 30, from contact with the paper roll, enabling the latter to turn about its long axis as a paper web is withdrawn therefrom. After the web has been withdrawn to form a sheet of paper of desired length, the head of the attachment formed by the bars 9 and 10 drops gravitationally so that the edge 30 is restored to its frictional clamping engagement with the outer circumference of the paper roll, whereby to hold the latter stationary during the operation of shearing the withdrawn length of paper along the edge 26 of the cutting bar 10.

The forces exerted during this shearing or cutting operation include inwardly directed components which maintains the clamping edge 30 in contact with the outer circumference of the roll 4. If the roll has diminished in diameter to an extent equal to the spacing between an adjacent pair of ratchet teeth 31, the inwardly directed forces on the attachment are sufficient to slide the plungers 32 outwardly against spring resistance in an automatic manner so that the inner ends of the plungers will engage with a second set of the teeth 31. By this arrangement the clamping edge 30 is maintained in effective contact at all times with the paper roll, except when the paper web is gripped at its free edge to withdraw a given length thereof from the roll body.

It will be seen, therefore, that in the construction and operation of my improved cutting and clamping attachment, it is important to pivotally mount the inner ends of the side bars 13 of the attachment for swinging movement about a horizontal axis on the upright members 3 of the holder frame, and at the same time, to maintain the arms in upwardly directed parallel relative order and in angular relation to the horizontal so that the head of the attachment will be maintained normally in constant angular relation with respect to the paper roll. This is true even as the roll diminishes in diameter as a result of paper withdrawals therefrom.

While I have described what I consider to be a preferred embodiment of my present invention, nevertheless it will be understood that the same is subject to certain variation or modification within the scope of the following claim.

I claim:

A dispensing holder for rolled sheet material comprising: a supporting frame; journalling means carried by said frame for the rotatable support of a spirally wrapped roll of sheet material; a table bar supported in connection with said frame in a position to project tangentially from the outer circumferential portion of an associated roll above a horizontal plane passing through said journalling means, said bar including alongitudinally extending,

inwardly disposed, roll-clamping edge normally maintained in engagement with the outer circumferential portion of the roll to resist casual rotation thereof; a cutter bar pivotally mounted at one end thereof on said table bar, said cutter bar normally extending in parallel relation with the table bar and in vertically spaced order with respect thereto for the passage of sheet material Withdrawn from the roll between said oars; side arms arranged at the ends of the roll, said arms having outer ends joined rigidly with these of the table bar; longitudinally aligned head devices swiveled on said frame, we the journalling means thereon, for turning movement about a horizontally disposed longitudinal axis, said devices being formed with guide openings in which the inner portions of said side arms are received for sliding movement radially with respect to said devices and for turning movement about the common longitudinal axis of: said devices;

ratchet teeth formed with said side arms; and manually operated, and spring-pressed, plunger means engageable with said teeth to restrain normally movement of said arms and the bars carried thereby outwardly with respect to an associated roll.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 369,692 Chapman et al. Sept. 13, 1887 393,630 Ehrlich Nov. 27, 1888 398,750 Ross Feb. 26, 1889 428,464 Crowder May 20, 1890 696,276 Sinclair Mar. 25, 1902 1,063,787 Evans June 3, 1913 1,117,404 Krue Nov. 17, 1914 2,601,650 Walter ct al. June 24, 1952 

